Once we arrive at the attitude of servanthood, we begin the task of establishing priorities. How can I be the best steward of my time? Of my abilities? Of my finances? Of my home? All the areas of our lives must be scrutinized and judiciously juggled. In prayer we have to determine the gifts our Lord wishes us to develop and use; discover which people He wishes us to serve.
We will be forced to make regular checks in order to determine how well we are stewarding. Generally, we all have to start with the one great unalterable: time. Am I being a good steward of my time? The only way to discover the answer is to chart one’s time, establish a time-log over a specific period of days.
After logging my activities for several weeks, I discovered I was spending more time watching TV than studying Scripture; more time housecleaning than exercising my gifts in ministry. Hours were wasted and prayers neglected. Clearly this was not in the interest of my Master! Drastic measures were required:
The television was abandoned; prolonged Scripture study and prayer patterns were established. Organized systems of housekeeping were developed, my cleanliness quotient lowered, and a plan for shared work with other family members introduced. These actions, carried out over the period of several months, freed me to participate in the lives of others and develop a deeper relationship with my Lord.
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For decades, Karen Mains and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and churches at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.
Karen has long had an interest in Christian hospitality and is the author of the best-selling book, Open Heart, Open Home.
An award-winning author of several other books, Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.
Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags. This micro-finance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.
In addition, pastors will find special resources to help them create effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
